Jesse Lingard will captain an extremely youthful Manchester United side against FC Astana this afternoon.
The midfielder is one of just four senior players who have travelled with the squad to Kazakhstan, with most first-team players staying in Manchester to prepare for Sunday’s Premier League home game against Aston Villa.
Other senior players Lee Grant, Luke Shaw and Axel Tuanzebe also start in the penultimate Europa League group stage game.
READ MORE: Loads of MUFC fans react as Solskjaer unleashes Man Utd youngsters against FC Astana
“It’s a massive honour,” he told United’s official website.
“I said at the start of the season I’d like to be more of a leader type of person, on and off the field.
Lingard gets a lot of stick from United fans but it must be a proud moment to captain the club he has been with since the age of 9.
The 27-year-old is fulfilling a boyhood dream this afternoon, and has to step up and lead Solskjaer’s young Reds by example.
We expect Lingard to play in behind the dangerous front three of academy graduates; Mason Greenwood, Angel Gomes and Tahith Chong.
